KUALA LUMPUR – Selangor should appoint experienced environmental activists to act as “ombudsman” on matters involving the state’s permanent forests reserves, Parti Hijau Malaysia (PHM) said.
This suggestion follows the Auditor-General’s Report 2021 Series 2 on the Special Audit of Forest Management and Environmental Impact, which found major weaknesses in the management of 40 out of the 76 permanent forest reserves in Selangor.
PHM secretary Abdul Razak Ismail in a statement said Selangor’s permanent forest reserves should be monitored by non-governmental environmental organisations together with the state’s Forestry Department and the state government.
“Hence, PHM would like to propose to the Selangor government to appoint some ‘senior’ environmental NGO figures to join a special committee as ombudsman on permanent forest reserves in Selangor,” Razak said.
He blamed state excos and the Forestry Department, saying they should be held responsible for the weaknesses found in the auditor-general’s report, which noted at least 40 cases of illegal land clearing involving an area of 3,537.01ha for agricultural and other purposes.
The report, released earlier this week, also noted non-compliance with environmental impact assessment (EIA) requirements for various activities such as quarrying, oil storage and scheduled waste handling, which resulted in open burning and pollution of waterways and the air.
“PHM is also disappointed with the Forestry Department, which is considered to be the “guardian of the forest” but has been negligent to the extent (that) 40 cases of illegal exploration in permanent forest reserves (have been found).”
The report, which was tabled at the Selangor Legislative Assembly on Tuesday and uploaded on the National Audit Department’s website, also revealed that the Forestry Department and the state government had “quietly” planned to degazette seven permanent forest areas without informing the public.
PHM took issue with this, saying this raised concerns that the state would continue the practice of “quietly broadcasting” such notices and “backdating” degazettements, such as done with the Bukit Cherakah Forest Reserve.
The party also noted the state’s delay in gazetting nine other new forests as permanent reserves, dragging these matters for up to seven years, despite approval from the state executive council.
PHM also claimed that “until today”, the state still had not regazetted the Kuala Langat North Forest Reserve after halting development plans there and announcing the regazettement in April last year.
It also pointed out monitoring failures in other areas, such as the Bukit Lagong Forest Reserve, where quarrying activities have commenced without compliance to EIAs.
PHM also questioned the apparent conflict of interest in granting a quarry plot in the Bukit Lagong reserve to a cooperative under the Forestry Department, Kojahus Bhd, since the department was the authority approving the plots. – The Vibes, March 18, 2023
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